GEORGE MASON (4-4, L1) at RADFORD (3-6, L1)
TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2:00 P.M. - SALEM MEMORIAL BALLPARK, SALEM, VA.

LHP Paul DeVito (0-1, 12.27 ERA) vs. Several Pitchers
Live Stats

Radford plays its home opener, away from home, when the Highlanders welcome George Mason to Salem Memorial Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday marks the first game in Virginia for Radford, which has been away from home for its first nine games of the 2010 season.  However, construction delays on dugouts at its on-campus facility, due to snowy weather this winter, forced Radford to move the home opener to Salem.  It's the second time in two years the Highlanders have visited Salem Memorial Ballpark, home of the Salem Red Sox (A-Adv), including last year's meeting with No. 7 Virginia on March 31 (L 2-12).

Following Tuesday's game, the Highlanders will play three more games at neighboring Kiwanis Field against Rider, this Saturday and Sunday.

George Mason and Radford are meeting for the first time since 2008, in a matchup putting third-year Radford head coach Joe Raccuia head-to-head against 29th year George Mason skipper Bill Brown.  Raccuia spent 2001-04 at Mason as Brown's assistant and associate head coach.

Radford is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Elon Invitational, with wins against Princeton (Friday, 9-8 in 11 innings) and Bucknell (Saturday, 4-2).   Through the course of three weekend games, the Highlanders got a standout bullpen performance that included scoreless work on both Friday and Saturday.   In the three games, Radford relievers posted a 2.47 ERA, allowing four earned runs in 14 2/3 innings.

Tuesday's starter for the Highlanders, Paul DeVito, was part of that effort, working two hitless innings in Friday's win over Princeton.  DeVito, Radford's wins leader as a freshman with six, returns to his familiar midweek role and makes his second start of the season against Mason. 

Radford will also ride Jeff Kemp's five game hitting streak, as the 2009 Big South Freshman of the Year continues his comeback from injury.  Kemp, playing every day at first base, is 7-for-18 during the streak.

Weather has wreaked havoc on Mason's schedule, forcing the cancellation or postponement of eight games already.  The Patriots, who went 42-14 last year and received an at-large berth to NCAA Regional play, haven't been on the diamond since last Tuesday, a 6-4 midweek loss at Richmond.  Mason's scheduled three-game series scheduled for this past weekend against Fordham in Fairfax was consolidated to a Sunday doubleheader, before finally being washed out.  

Mason opened the season with three wins in four games at Winthrop's Bojangles Classic (Feb. 19-21), highlighted by 25-2 and 15-1 wins over Northwestern.  Winthrop beat the Patriots 11-4 in their Saturday matchup.   The following weekend (Feb. 27-28), Georgetown took two of three from Mason in an impromptu series at Christopher Newport University.

George Mason will send a series of pitchers to the mound tomorrow, as a result of the postponements.